Three Man Weave: Cincinnati Destroys Grambling State to Close Non-Conference Play

The Bearcats are 10-1 heading into the Big 12 schedule.

Dec 20, 2024; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Cincinnati Bearcats guard Day Day Thomas (1) talks with head coach Wes Miller in the game against the Dayton Flyers in the second half at Heritage Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-Imagn Images / Aaron Doster-Imagn Images

CINCINNATI — The Bearcats led wire-to-wire in Sunday's non-conference closing win over Grambling State 84-49.

Cincinnati's offense showed balance and a return to form against a lesser opponent. Dillon Mitchell (13 points, seven rebounds) and Aziz Bandaogo (15 points, six rebounds) skied all afternoon for slams.

Cincinnati owned the paint and glass to put up another physical performance in non-conference play. It marked UC's first game ever against Grambling, as the Tigers offense did not show up on Sunday (34% shooting). The third consecutive opponent Cincinnati's held to under 40% shooting.

Air Cincinnati

UC's size led to plenty of wow highlight moments around the rim on Sunday. Mitchell and Bandaogo drove the way in those efforts. They tied for the lead among all players in total game efficiency (21). Mitchell capped his first UC non-conference slate as one of the 20 best players in the country so far.

They played nasty, downhill ball less than two days after arguably the toughest game of the season so far against Dayton. The two shot a combined 11-15 from the floor on a high-efficiency shot diet near the rim. Cincinnati is very hard to beat when the lobs and near-rim efficiency are high (9-11 on dunks).

It opens things up shooting-wise for all of UC's talented wings and that didn't necessarily play out amidst another tough outside shooting day (28.1%), but it should in the long run.

Cincinnati owned the paint (40-26) and fastbreak moments (13-6) in a game they never had any doubts about winning.

Bench Gets Some Love

Wes Miller aptly went deeper into his bench for a blend of minutes in the big blowout on Sunday. Cincinnati gets a week to tighten things up and assess a tape with over 10 guys getting a mixture of minutes.

The most notable face to arise was CJ Fredrick (three points in 12 minutes), who last played on Nov. 27. the veteran sharpshooter has fallen out of the main rotation but could be an impactful spot shooter in certain Big 12 situations.

It's safe to say Miller is rolling with Bandaogo, Mitchell, Simas Lukošius, Dan Skillings Jr., Connor Hickman, Day Day Thomas, Jizzle James, Tyler Betsey and Arrinten Page as his main rotation pieces. That group drove this 10-1 record leading into the Big 12 and has the growth pattern of a championship outfit if things break the right way.

Other names will likely play a role, especially if injuries strike in the grueling schedule after Christmas. Fredrick's gotta stay ready and Sunday's decent minutes were a sign he can.

Week Gap Before the Gauntlet

The page turns to conference play for Cincinnati. Wes Miller's team has shown it can play elite-level basketball—now they have to prove it in the Big 12 all while weathering a marathon slate down the stretch.

Cincinnati won't have more than four days between games for the rest of the season, including no week gap this season on a 20-game conference diet. This next week is a great time to tighten up the loose screws, dial up some more offensive creativity and get as primed as possible for arguably the toughest conference in the country.

UC ranked seventh among Big 12 teams in ESPN's BPI entering this game and has the resumé to make serious noise in its second Big 12 season, health and stamina will play a big role in that as they charge up across the holiday week.

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